I Spy with Belichick's Eyes

Remember this face ladies and gentlemen, this is the face of the devil. I will admit that he is one of the greatest coeaches the NFL has seen, partly because he is a Parcell's School of Football alumni. He has been called a defensive guru, he has led the Patriots to 3 Super Bowls and most people have said they will go down in history as one of the greatest franchises in NFL history. That is absolutely true, only now they will be the most infamous franchise. I will be honest that I am probably not the biggest football fan out there. I can't tell you who was the league MVP each year starting in 1980, I can't tell you who won the Heisman in 1985, but I love football more then life itself. I watch every game on Sunday, I watch highlights of old games, I cry when former players are inducted into the football Hall of Fame and I would not want to live if the sport of football did not exist. It is America's sport. But I can't tell you where my hatred for the Patriots comes from. I am not a fan of any AFC East team, they didn't beat my favorite team, the New York Football Giants, in the Super Bowl. So I can only say that I hate the Patriots with a passion, as do most of the people involved in the football universe. After watching the Patriots trounce the Jets, I thought to myself that I need to hate them even more now. They looked impressive, they really did. With my hatred put aside, they are still a great football team, I cannot deny that. Randy Moss ran 56 yards for a touchdown, Ellis Hobbs returned a kickoff 108 yards for a touchdown and Tom Brady was almost perfect at the helm completing 22 of 28 passes for 297 yards and 3 touchdowns. Then the Patriot world comes crashing down. the greatest team in football, the greatest coach in football today...caught cheating.

This poses a question that has come up time after time this week: Is Belichick's coaching skills discredited now? Did he legitimitely win those Super Bowls? How long has he had a blatant disregard for the rules and regulations of the NFL? Unfotunately, these questions will remain unanswered. There are those that say the actions taken by Roger Goodell, $500,000 fine to Belichick, $250,000 fine to the Patriots and the loss of a first round draft pick, are not harsh enough. I say the most disappointing aspect is that there will not be a probe into other incidents. Last November, the same Patriot flunky, Matt Estrella, had his camera confiscated by league officials for suspicion videotaping defensive signals. This is a definite blemish on what has so far been a brilliant coaching career. However, it has been known that Belichick is not one to think to highly over other people's opinions of him. Who is to say that the Patriots did not have an advantage in January against the Charger's? I'm sure the Charger's want to know. How about the St. Loius Rams? Carolina Panther's? They all lost in the playoffs or Super Bowl to the Patriots. Do they have a right to know? You can say that on Sunday it didn't sway the outcome of the game because the videocamera was confiscated during the 1st quarter.However, one cannot deny how much of an advantage they could have had. The video operator points the camera at the opposing team's defensive coordinator giving signals to his player's on the field. The vidoe of the hand signals is compared with the overhead photos of each play which are available to teams during a game. These are the photos that you see the defensive players looking at when the offense is on the field. From the comparison of the signal to the formation on the field, a team could know that a raised hand, for example, could mean blitz. The next time they notice a raised hand, they can adjust accordingly. Coaches relay information to players on the field via headsets or hand gestures. These comparisons can be made during halftime and the team can be more prepared for the second half. This can also be useful longterm with teams creating files for each team.

I know this post is not funny, it isn't meant to be. I'm sorry, I cannot make a joke about something that is a joke in itself. Belichick and the rest of the Patriot organization, including that fudgepacking homosexual of an owner Robert Kraft, should be shamed into leaving football. Seriously, if you need to videotape defensive signals to have an edge against another football team, you shouldn't be in the National Football League. If you feel the need to vidoetape a football game, tape a bunch of high school kids playing football in a park somewhere. Analyze them. Belichick should be ashamed of himself, Rober tKraft should commit sobuku and the rest of the Patriots should spontaneously combust.

-Cambodian Monk-

Special thanks to the Boston Globe, ESPN and ABC News